More charges levied in bizarre Radnor kidnap plot

New charges were added Tuesday in the case of the 76-year-old Florida grandfather and former CFO of Spencer's Gifts arrested last week in what Radnor police called a bizarre plot to kidnap a Villanova resident.

Along with a slew of other charges that he had been facing, prosecutors added attempted kidnapping, attempted unlawful restraint and theft charges in the case of John Felder, 76, of Miami.

Felder's preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge John Tuten in Radnor on Tuesday was continued until a later date, but Delaware County Assistant District Attorney Lindsay McDonald asked to have the criminal complaint reflect the new charges.

Felder, who was brought into court in handcuffs told reporters, "You know I can't say anything," when asked about his arrest.

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Police say Felder concocted a bizarre plan to kidnap a wealthy Main Line resident and had a list of other potential victims in his possession.

Police are accusing Felder of finding the people he believed to be wealthy on the Internet in the hopes of kidnapping them and then collecting a ransom. Police say Felder went as far as to rent a cabin in the woods in the Poconos where he would hold the victims captive.

According to police, Felder went to the home of a Villanova resident on Nov. 7 under the guise as a flower shop delivery driver. With the flowers he picked up at Cowan's Flower Shop, Felder went to the home of his intended target. As Felder handed over a card to the homeowner, police say he pulled out a Taser and fired it at the homeowner. The resident quickly shut the door and Felder fled the scene.

Felder was arrested a few days later as he attempted to purchase a gun. Police had already named Felder as a suspect in the case and a warrant had already been issued in his name. So when Felder attempted to purchase the gun and a background check was conducted, the warrant came up and he was arrested.

Police had identified him because he complained at the flower shop that he had received a ticket when he was there two days earlier. Police ran a check of anyone who received a ticket at that particular parking meter and Felder's rental car came up as the only ticket issued at the meter.

At the hearing Tuesday, Felder's attorney, Jason R. Antoine, asked to have his client's bail lowered. Felder has been in prison on $175,000. Antoine asked that bail be reduced to 10 percent of $100,000, citing Felder's background and lack of arrests.

In court, Antoine cited Felder's past as that of the onetime CFO of Spencer's Gifts in the 1970s. He also cited his ties to the area as a graduate of Temple University and a onetime CEO of a manufacturing company. Antoine also cited Felder's work with church organizations and youth sports teams.

"As you can see, this doesn't make sense because he has been a model citizen," Antoine said in court.

Later, Antoine cited medical problems Felder is experiencing and expressed concern that he might not survive in prison.

"He could die in prison. That is a possibility," Antoine said.

On the other hand, prosecutors mentioned the crimes that Felder is accused of having committed and the steps prosecutors say he took to carry them out. McDonald said, as police have already verified, Felder has no relatives in the area.

"I submit to the court that the defendant is a danger to the community," McDonald said in opposing the bail decrease.

Tuten agreed with the prosecution and kept the bail unchanged at $175,000.

Outside of court, Antoine said he might consider asking for a reduction at a later hearing.